Some may wonder what is marriage?

Marriages are said to be made in heaven. Marriage is the relation in which a man and a woman hold each other's hand and take an oath to keep him/her under his/her wing, to protect, to care, to keep him/her the happiest person on planet, they promise never to let go off each others whatever happens in future. Marriage means loving, caring, protecting, helping, supporting and sacrificing for each other.

Arya Samaj Mandir, Marriage in Arya Samaj

Arya Samaj -: Escalating the life style

In India, marriage has been considered a sacred institution since a long time. It is considered to be the biggest day in every person’s life as it changes the dynamics of every relation. Even the family members of bride and groom experience a major change in their lives. It also reflects the culture, traditions, principles etc of the family. Owing to its huge importance, many factors come into play at the time of taking the final decision of marriage. The Indian society has always been known for not being too open in accepting love marriages and inter-caste marriages.  However, things are changing fast. The society has started to accept pre-marital relations at least in bigger cities. The growing trend of semi-arranged marriages happening on a large scale, as compared to the numbers about a decade back, have made life a bit easy for younger generation.

 

As India continues to fight to find a place for itself in this fast developing world, such social taboos also need to be dealt with at an early stage for long term benefits. In today’s world where all the developed have made discrimination between men and women almost negligible, India is also marching ahead by allowing greater independence to the weaker sex. In such a scenario, taboo like arranged marriages can only act as a hindrance and it is in such times that institutions like Arya Samaj are gaining popularity. This came into existence in 1875 and was established by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. All kinds of marriages take place in Arya Samaj irrespective of the caste, creed, and religion of people concerned. Its main purpose is to unite two souls without any burden of societal issues. Its main motive is to free the Indian society of unnecessary issues and help in spreading the message of brotherhood and love.

As Arya Samaj was founded on Vedic principles, it explicitly disapproves of hero worship, animal sacrifices, priest skill, discrimination on the basis of caste, other malpractices such as sati pratha, dowry, inequality of woman, child marriages etc. The Arya Samaj has made schools and missionary associations in order to expand and enter countries outside India. It now has branches around the world. Its principles mainly state that God is supreme as He is the creator of universe; it also seeks to support truth in all circumstances; believes in goodness and general welfare of people. It is in this light that Arya Samaj does not believe in any kind of discrimination.

 

The process followed for AryaSamaj marriage is very simple and reliable. The rituals are decided mainly by the religion of the boy or the girl. The necessary documentation include proof of age, affidavits mentioning their nationality, status of marriage affairs, photographs and two witnesses from each side. Moreover, there is no legal issue involved as proper marriage certificate is provided which avoids any future legal problems as this document is necessary for social security and for several other benefits such as getting visa for spouse, claiming amount of insurance etc. Hence, it is clear that this democratic institution is doing great work in improving the spiritual, cultural and social life of people.